Downtown businesses say CRIME OUT OF CONTROL
Mayor says ‘robust’ plan in the works to battle vagrancy, vandalism and theft that threaten revitalization of city core
Businesses in and around the transportation stations and Theater Block at First and Central Downtown say rampant vagrancy and crime is turning the heart of Albuquerque into a criminal hot spot.
Entrepreneurs say the entire zone running from First to Fifth streets and Central to Coal has become ground zero for an apparently growing population of transients, homeless people and criminals that is making life for businesses and their employees nearly unbearable.
“This is out of control,” said Tom Carroll, president of the public relations and advertising firm Carroll Strategies Downtown. “I walk two blocks back and forth from my office to my car every day, and I’m harassed in some way four or five times daily. … I’m considering
leaving — we all have to consider that — because if nothing can be done about this, we have to protect our employees.”
The situation came to a head last week when one of Albuquerque’s star startups, Lavu Inc. — which occupies the upper floors of the Theater Block building above Tucanos restaurant — warned in a letter to the city, the governor’s office and the Albuquerque Police Department that it may be forced to abandon its offices because of rampant crime. The company cited numerous incidents of theft and vandalism of employee cars, and even an assault on one of its employees.
Lavu’s appeal drew broad public attention, generating concern that the stigma of criminal activity could interfere with public and private efforts to build a high-tech “Innovation District” along Central Avenue Downtown, impeding the city’s ability to retain current businesses and attract new ones to the area.
Revitalizing the entire urban core around the Alvarado Transportation Center is a cornerstone of that plan, championed by Mayor Richard Berry’s administration. That includes construction of the new “One Central” mixed-use development on the north side of Central with entertainment, apartments and parking, plus completion of the Albuquerque Rapid Transit project that will cut through the Downtown corridor.
The mayor says the city will not allow crime to derail those efforts nor drive businesses out.
“The businesses invested in Downtown are my customers like everyone else in the city, and we need to deal with these issues,” Berry told the Journal on Thursday. “We’re developing an immediate strategy to tackle this vagrant situation, alongside our long-term plans for public safety.”
The city is preparing a five-point plan for First and Central that includes efforts by police to enforce the law, cleanup by maintenance crews, services to help the homeless and mentally ill in the area, and joint coordination with private security firms that protect businesses and buildings Downtown.
“It will be a robust effort,” Berry said. “We’ll work with our public and private partners to build a sustainable plan.”
Action overdue
Area businesses say such action is long overdue. Problems in the Downtown area date back many years, reflecting the transient population around the train and bus stations there, homeless groups seeking services Downtown, and Bernalillo County’s practice of dropping off people there after release from the Metropolitan Detention Center.
But many say the situation has deteriorated further in recent months, even as progress is made to transform Downtown into a bustling center for business, the arts and modern urban living.
“Our sense of optimism about the future is being deeply affected by the recent and persistent uptick in crime in Downtown Albuquerque,” said 15 businesses, nonprofits and neighborhood associations in a May 15 letter to the mayor and Albuquerque Chief of Police Gorden Eden. “Our businesses are being negatively impacted by the increase in criminal activity that we see and experience everyday, and the situation has simply become intolerable for many of our business owners.”
Individual businesses complain of constant harassment.
Carroll, a 10-year Downtown business resident who moved from the Theater Block building in 2014 to Third Central Plaza at 300 Central SW, said groups of vagrants and lawbreakers seem to be converging all along Central.
“This is the heart of our city, and we’re neglecting it,” Carroll said. “For people who work Downtown, it’s a terrible situation.”
Jerry Roehl, general managing partner of the Third Central Plaza Partnership, said one of his law office tenants recently moved out because of constant harassment from panhandlers and homeless people. Another prospective tenant reneged on moving in for the same reasons.
“The new tenant was headed to the building to sign the lease, but he was so badly harassed on his way in that he decided not to,” Roehl said.
Wes Edling, CEO of the event planning and management company HoldMyTicket, said problems are chronic around the Sunshine Building, where he occupies the fifth floor.
“None of my employees have been assaulted, but we have had many car break-ins,” Edling said. “One guy kept coming into our offices — he even defecated in the building at one point — until we called the cops to take him out.”
Cloud and network management services firm Ardham Technologies Inc., which occupied the second floor of the Theater Block building for four years, sought safer ground in the North Interstate 25 corridor in 2014.
“Crime was one of the main reasons we left,” said Ardham President and CEO Jay Swainston. “We had so many stories of employees harassed and cars broken into, including one incident where a homeless guy jumped into an employee’s car with her in it. Our female employees never felt safe, and we always had to escort them to the parking lot.”
‘Citywide problem’
The problems are particularly concentrated west of the railroad tracks. On the east side, where the University of New Mexico is working with public and private partners to build the new Innovate ABQ research and development hub, incidents do occur, but on a smaller scale.
Lisa Adkins, who runs the FatPipe ABQ business incubator on Broadway just north of Central, said some business tenants have had bikes stolen or vandalized, and a couple had cars broken into. But, generally, she said, incubator occupants feel safe.
Adkins and others said the city, county and local community need to work together to make Downtown and the Innovation District a safe place.
“It’s not just Downtown. It’s a citywide problem,” said Harold Lavender, program development director for the ABQid business accelerator at Broadway and Central. “We have to find viable alternatives for these displaced individuals in the Downtown area. We need to get our heads together to figure out how to solve that problem.”
New Mexico Technology Council President and CEO Nyika Allen said her group may organize a roundtable discussion for Downtown companies on public safety.
“We’re working so hard to revitalize Downtown,” Allen said. “It would be deeply unfortunate if we lose companies here because we can’t get crime under control.”